Uber’s electric bicycle sharing kicks-off in Denver
Denver aka the Mile High City, a name it owes both its location in the Rocky Mountains and its lax legislation of Cannabis, has got a new service in town. Uber-owned Jump Bikes has let loose 250 e-bikes. Their number is to double next year.
The electric bike rental service is in good company in Denver. Similar offers have sprung up recently thanks to the Dockless Mobility Pilot Permit Program, that already permitted five electric scooter and two electric bike companies, namely Bird and LimeBike, to operate in the Mile High City.
Jump Bikes has the unique selling point of being easily booked through the Uber app. The ride hail firm had integrated the startup in their offering this April (we reported).
The app gives users a pin number with which to unlock the bike and begin riding. The initial cost is $1, plus 15 cents per minute after five minutes. That adds up to $9 per hour. Yet, Jump is also offering a cash-based, low-income membership for $5 a month for those who qualify.
Denver requires Jump staff to collect its bikes at the end of each day and return them to RTD bus or light-rail stations. Officials welcome the influx of services but also said they would monitor the use of these sharing offers in order to avoid vehicles stacking up on sidewalks for example. Both Bird and LimeBike had to withdraw their offering initially but are now back on track. LimeBike is Uber-backed as well reportedly.
Jump electric bicycles are available in Washington, San Francisco and now Denver as well as in Santa Cruz, Chicago, Austin, Sacramento, and New York City.
In Denver, the Jump pedelecs are mostly available downtown and in surrounding neighbourhoods, but not citywide. Users need to lock the e-bikes after use within the serviced zone.
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